The Power In Your Hands
August 25, 2008, Matthew Good Anthropologist, Dr. Michael Wesch, makes plain the power of not your computer, but the social media device that you’re currently sitting in front and using…
Though very early on in his presentation, pause the video and seriously take a moment and think about the statistics that he provides regarding ABC as compared to YouTube.
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thanks for adding this matt.. it was interesting, the stats are actually kind of insane…
Great presentation, but reminds me of how many hours I lose at work strolling through TED. The view of community is interesting and in some ways a little overwhelming. I love the way that people reach out for other people even if they can’t do it in person. If the ones around you aren’t reaching back, it’s comforting to know that others out there will.
This is really interesting. I watched a little over half, but unfortunately I’m too tired to finish it tonight; I’ll definitely pick up where I left off tomorrow.
The statistics were pretty mind-boggling, I have to say, but if you keep watching past that, it’s the stuff about wanting individuality but also searching for a sense of community that really got to me. And the youtube comments. I’ve often gotten concerned for the future of the human race after spending a few minutes reading youtube comments. But I suppose people aren’t afraid to show their true colours when they know how anonymously they’ll be heard. It’s as if you’re watching a performance through a one-way mirror and commenting into a microphone. After the show is done, you say what you want because the performer won’t judge you, all he or she knows of you is a disembodied voice. All the while, hundreds, thousands of others are doing the same thing, about the same performance you just saw. There are no negative consequences to you for saying something stupid, or rude, or obnoxious, except maybe to receive the same thing back from another disembodied voice. Sticks and stones, right?
Even now as I’m writing this, I feel safe knowing that it’s pretty much anonymous. Not that there’s anything in here meant offend anyone, as there often is in comments of youtube videos, but I’m usually a pretty shy person, and I’d never say all this in person to a group of strangers. You see the same sort of thing in psychology sometimes: the patient is reluctant to explain their issues to the doctor/specialist/whoever, but will much more readily write it down on a piece of paper and hand it over.
Wow. Sorry that was so long, I didn’t even realize. I guess after 4 months of my brain slowly turning to mush, it’s ready to start working again.
What an excellent lecture. I did not expect to watch the whole thing.
In one of my political science lectures about community last year I listened to the views of Robert Putnam about community with little interest. Now after watching this video, I think I might read Putnam’s book that’s mentioned in the video (Bowling Alone).
Matt, I blame you for providing me with this very interesting video and my subsequent lack of sleep tonight because I know I’ll be sitting here pondering this topic lol.
All kidding aside it does raise questions about why, for example, I am typing this right now. I’m hitting letters on a keyboard that’ll be read by people I’ve never seen (other than seeing Matt at a concert but that hardly counts). It’s all rather anonymous like Dory said, and even though my full name is listed I can feel pretty secure.
I need to get this topic out of my head so I can sleep….
…time to watch someone get hit in the crotch on Youtube!
Wow, those stats are mind blowing! Great lecture.
ugh, I just realized my first sentence is redundant. Ignore one “community”. It’s almost 1:30 so I hope everyone will let my errors slide lol
That was really wonderful. I’ve been immersed in sociological and anthropological analyses of emerging technologies (though it could be argued that youtube hardly counts as an emerging technology these days) for the past year or so, and it’s fascinating to read/see the variety of opinions on “social networking” tools within the academic field. I can’t say I’ve seen/read anything that compares with this video.
[time passes]
I’ve watched a couple of his other short videos, too, and they are just as interesting. Wow. This is really wonderful. This man’s work is really wonderful!! Forwarding it to a local professor. . .many thanks!!!!
Thanks so much for posting this. I ended up watching the whole thing. Fascinating, and I have to say, kind of heart warming. Typically we think of kids, etc. communicating via internet as dis-connected, and really, the possibilities for community and a sense of belonging are immense. I wanna go back and study Anthropology!!!
Whoa! I agree! I did not expect to watch that whole thing after working a 12 hour shift. That was an amazing lecture.
Great find man. That’s the real power of the internet –it’s the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter your race, your background, your beliefs, or your income - on the internet your voice is just as loud as everyone else’s. New media is really changing the world around us.
Matt Mullenweg (the guy who wrote wordpress), always brings this video up when he talks about WordPress (mainly because the guy has a higher google rank than he does):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY
It’s a guy called Dancing Matt who decided to youtube his trip around the world meeting new people. It started as a simple documentary, and turned into something so much more. I think it really encompasses the spirit of a lot of web people.
Ten million views and counting.
that was incredibly well done….going to be thinking about that for a long while.
thanks
Fascinating. I watched the whole thing. That doesn’t happen very often.
I like the idea of the person not talking to people, but talking to a camera, thats a very interesting thought
Wonderful lecture. I’ve always been a bit concerned about how society is becoming less social. Yes, this is true, but people are still finding sense of community through technology, which is very fascinating.
Thank you for sharing this, Matt!
Free hugs is pretty cool
If you really want a shock click on most viewed all time. Avril Lavigne’s video Girlfriend has over 98 million views! That’s insane!